Blogging

We all know there should be 26 hours in the day.  Could that be a Christmas gift?  No? Yeah, that’s what I thought.  We only have so much time in a day to dedicate to each task.  The best solution is to make every move we make and every article we write worth it.  By focusing you available time and efforts you can increase your ROI significantly.

You wouldn’t buy a new Ferrari and then leave it out in the winter would you?!  No, you would take the time to nurture your investment.  Here are some ideas for making the most of your web presence.   

1. Go Local – Claim your location and add photos, business hours, and as much pertinent information as you can.

• Head to getlisted.org to check your current status. 

• Claim your business: Google’s Local Business Page, Yahoo!, Bing, Yellowpages.com and Yelp: all of which are FREE. 

2. Revisit your copy – Better Content = more traffic = more conversions = More Money!

• Whether it’s PPC (pay per click ad campaigns) or site pages, visit and refine your pages, being sure to utilize keyword research.  This will keep the content fresh and you are certain to find a few glaring typos you didn’t see the first time around.    

• Mega important to take advantage of Meta Descriptions, and Meta Keywords.  Web Shop Manager’s Content Management System (CMS) makes it incredibly easy to input this information.  You could have this done for all your site pages in a morning’s work.

3. Leverage your Web Presence – Want a group of participating, link sharing, interactive people that understand your brand and don’t mind promoting it?  If you are interested in more information on this subject, be sure to read "How to Cultivate and Retain an Active User Base for your eCommerce Blog".

• Start with a core group of people you enjoy interacting with, start reading their blog, and leave thoughtful comments.  Find them on Twitter, StumbleUpon where ever you both are, and connect. 

4. If you post it they will come… - This isn’t true!  Sure organic traffic is bound to happen from keyword rich blog posts.  But don’t leave it all up to Google!  They are busy!  Do your own promoting.  Use every social network you have to cross promote.

• LinkedIn – Update your status bar with a link to your newest article.  If you belong to groups, find the ones that would benefit from your post and add a link to their news feed.

• Facebook Fan Page – Set up your page so it automatically updates with your RSS feed.  Of course this can be done manually too.

• Twitter – Tweet a shortened link to your newest blog post.  Use Hashtags (#) to specify keywords if they don’t appear in your tweet else where.  This will help people that use the search feature find you.  For instance:

“Great deals on outdoor equipment! #kayaks #canoes #camping"

Oh, and do use invitations for people to connect with you, frequently, in your email signatures, business cards, print collateral, etc.  With that being said you should connect with Web Shop Manager if you haven’t done so already:

Emily Dunn, Brown Bag Agency

How can you know where you are going when you don’t know where you are starting from?  There are many great (free) tools to use when evaluating and benchmarking the effectiveness of your website and blog.  Then, you can take that information to develop the direction of your blog and website.

Not knowing how you are doing is a detriment to the work you have already done.  Please consider the following tools when evaluating your site:

1. Websitegrader.com- This site offers a myriad of helpful information including glaring omissions, competition comparisons, and Google Page Rank (PR).  PR is important because it is Google’s way of determining where your site will appear on the search page.  This number is determined by a number of things including search engine optimization (SEO) and the quality and quantity of inbound links (aka backlinks).  Thankfully, WSM http://webshopmanager.com/ has built in SEO optimization tools that will help with your relevance. 

2. Google Analytics- Google Analytics is a traffic analysis tool that allows you to measure statistics including top landing pages, top keywords used to find your site, and top content on your blog.  Use this in conjunction with Web Shop Manager’s built in statistics feature.  If you find that a specific keyword is resulting in high traffic levels, use that idea to spin off a blog post series.  For more ideas on how to generate content read "How do I Develop Innovative Content for my eCommerce Blog?". 

3. Alexa.com – Use Alexa.com to see which company is the most popular in your category, or check out your competitors reach, pageviews, top key words, and the demographics of site visitors.  You can use these stats to your advantage and improve your market share.  Knowledge is your friend when it comes to your competition. 

Use these tools on a regular basis to evaluate your efforts in a similar way that you run sales reports.  Finding weaknesses and areas you can improve will be a huge asset to your traffic levels and will result in more conversions. 

Next month I’ll be exploring Social Media Optimization and how to make every move count including things you aren’t doing but should. 

Emily Dunn

Brown Bag Agency

We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 6 posts in our series “Developing an eCommerce Blog”.  Now seems to be the perfect time to provide 5 tips that will help take your blog to the next level.  So here they are in no particular order:

1. Use Coupons to Capture Holiday Shoppers – You know you love clicking and clipping coupons, and now there is a study to prove that everyone else does too.  Harris Interactive recently released a Consumer Coupon Behavior study that found:

“30% of online adults will not make a purchase at an online store if they can’t find a coupon for that store”

“22% of online adults will go to a different store to make that purchase”

Use this to your advantage and post special discounts to coupon sites like:

• Retail Me Not
• Coupons.com

If you would like more ideas on monetizing your eCommerce blog, please refer to a previous post in this series entitled "3 Areas to Consider when Monetizing your eCommerce Blog"

2. Use contests to grow readership, and ignite some buzz – Use contests and giveaways to start a commenting and site visit frenzy.  This is the perfect way to not only feature your products but to get your name out there.  Write an insightful post, ask a question and randomly select a commenter to receive a prize.  It doesn’t have to be a huge item, we as human beings just like free stuff. 

Or, ask visitors to sign up for your RSS feed, and shoot you an email letting you know.  They could then be entered for a chance to win something.  Think of using the Interactive Survey in a module in a similar way to gain insightful information and names for a drawing.

This tactic can also be used to grow your Twitter followers.  For instance, you could give your 100^th follower a $25 gift certificate for your store. 

3. Always be human – Remember, photos not logos make you seem like a real human. This is especially true for Twitter accounts.  Be you (real human) blogging for the company.  Also, be sure to take advantage of Web Shop Manager’s Live Chat Module.  Having a personality is a good thing.  Use your own unique spin and writing style to create deeper relationships through your chats.     

4. Exchange Links with Other Bloggers - If you want someone to notice you, reference them or their company in a blog post and then email the link to the post that mentions them.  Use restraint when reaching out, and make sure the content you are offering adds something of value.  Make sure the link you send is to relevant blog post and not just a link to your homepage.    

The best way to get noticed is to frequent interesting sites, and leave thoughtful comments.  Eventually, they will return the favor. 

5. Be the expert – Take your area of expertise and run with it.  No one could know more about your niche, so use that knowledge not only to sell your products or services, but to put you at the forefront of your category.  Use your blog as a platform to convey your enthusiasm to earn credibility and watch your sales increase. 

I encourage you to challenge yourself to take your blog to the next level now that you have the fundamentals down.  Just don’t drive yourself batty trying them all at once.  Have any of these worked for you in the past?  Please leave your success stories below with a link to your blog (opportunity here for a shameless plug-take it!).   

Next month we’ll explore how to evaluate your online effectiveness.  After all, if you don’t know how your site is doing, how can you improve?  If you are looking for a real treat, make sure you sign up for Web Shop Manager’s RSS feed. 

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Emily Dunn, Brown Bag Agency

Social media seems to be a term that is on everyone’s lips lately, but is it just hype or a viable channel for marketing and relationship building?  The answer is…both.  There are aspects of social media (this does not just mean Twitter) that connect real people, and in turn connect those real people to your product or services.

It is important to know the various types of social media available to you and how to use them effectively.  Try incorporating some of these technologies in your 2010 marketing plan to deepen your relationships that you have been building through your blog.  If you are still wondering how to obtain an active user base I would like to suggest you take a look at “How to Cultivate and Retain an Active User Base for your eCommerce Blog”, which is part of a larger series on “Developing an eCommerce Blog”.     

Before heading blindly into the wilds of social media, define your goals, such as driving traffic to your site, or gaining fans for giveaways, all of which can lead to increased sales.  Having a clear motive will help direct your social media plan of action.

Here is just a sampling of popular social media platforms along with some suggestions for use as they relate to eCommerce blogs. 

Twitter -You are limited to 140 characters including punctuation, spacing, and links to get your message across.  Use every character purposely and keep in mind you are representing your company with every word you choose.  Only plug your company, or a new blog post about every 10 tweets. 

• Real Conversations – find a group you want to connect with, and who are potential evangelists for your service or product, interact with them, retweet (basically a forward for Twitter), and genuinely take interest in what they’re up to, and who they are.
• Trade Links for Stumbles – if one of the people you follow posts an interesting tweet or link to a blog post use StumbleUpon to review it.  Let the person you follow know and hopefully they will return the favor.  This will drive traffic to your site from StumbleUpon.
• Connect with Common Interest Groups – Find people by utilizing the search feature (searches in real time) to form a group that is personal just for your brand.  For instance, if you sell Bronco parts search Broncos and see who is tweeting.

Facebook - Yeah, your grandma, aunts, cousins are all using it to stay in touch and although the updates can be annoying there are Facebook Profile/Fan pages that are not only free, but further a brands image by allowing ‘fans’ and a place to post relative content without clogging up your site, or wasting bandwidth.  They also allow a platform for brand personality through YouTube clips, or RSS feeds.  This is probably the most automated social media option represented here.

• Be Consistent – It doesn’t matter if people choose to look at your invite to a trunk show on your Facebook Profile/Fan Page or your website, but the information must be the same.  Use the same logos, maps, etc to maintain a consistent image.
• Link Love – Use your eCommerce site to link to your Facebook page, and use your Facebook page to link back to your site.
• Keep it Fresh – Link your blog RSS directly to your Facebook Page so that it consistently stays fresh with no additional maintenance. 

LinkedIn - Use LinkedIn as your gateway to find other professionals that can use your knowledge and expertise.

• Join Groups/ Start Groups – These can be professional groups, alumni, etc and upload blog posts you have written that correlate to the interest group for greater exposure.
• Update your Status – Be sure to update your status line at least once a week to remain in front of your contacts, and draw more people to your blog.

These are only three options to consider in a sea of ever evolving mediums.  The best way to stay afloat is to set aside a specific amount of time, say 30 minutes a day, and give it a 30 day trial period to see if it is a good fit for your product and reaching your customers.  If it isn’t a good fit (or enjoyable), discontinue use and look to another avenue. 

Next month I will be sharing some advanced tricks and treats that I have discovered about blogging and share them with you.  If you haven’t signed up for Web Shop Manager’s RSS feed be sure to do so. 

Emily Dunn

Brown Bag Agency

It is a well known fact that in business it is easier to keep customers than it is to find new ones.  The same goes for subscribers to a site.  It is worth a bit of work to gain and keep loyal followers rather than spending copious amounts of time looking for one hit wonders.  It is crucial that you engage them by giving them the fresh content that they expect from you, their trusted source for information.  For a little help developing content for you blog, you may want to refer to the series “Developing an eCommerce Blog” specifically "How do I Develop Innovative Content for my eCommerce Blog?".

There are two main ways to keep your newest content in front of many sets of eyes.  First, there is the newsletter.  There are advantages to newsletters, you can control content and make it specific for your audience by including an introduction, point them toward some other links, provide updates etc.  Then there is RSS, RSS most commonly is referred to as “Really Simple Syndication” which means people choose to subscribe to your articles.  They will automatically be notified when you have new content from the feed reader of their choosing.  They will receive your blog post as is without additional content.  Both the newletter, and RSS are available through Web Shop Manager’s content modules.

How do you get users to sign up for a newsletter or RSS feed?

• Free Report – Upon registering for your newsletter or RSS offer your subscribers a report that is well written and in a different context would be worth paying for.  They gain insight into your knowledge base, and you gain loyal readership.
• Contests – In general people love free stuff and are willing to sign up for something if there is the chance they’ll win something.  The offer should be something that they would find of value, and is related to your brand or service. 
• Repetition – You will find that people are more apt to do something if they are asked more than once.  Try adding a link to the bottom of your blog post asking for them to sign up, and make it abundantly clear that you have a newsletter available.  Note how Atlanta Antique Gallery, designed by Web Design Solutions, asks you to sign up for the newsletter easily with just an email address right in the middle of their home page. 

Now that you have your faithful flock, how do you get them to interact?

• Thoughtful Posts - Be honest, interesting, and personable (not spammy) in your posts.  Providing meaningful content is the best way to gain returning visitors.  Also, respond to the comments that people make to your posts.  Engage them in further discussion, and use those comments as inspiration for new blog posts. 
• Love is a Two-Way Street – If you want others to comment and interact on your blog, be sure to pay the comment love forward.  Focus on a small group of people that you particularly think would add value to your blog.  Interact with them by visiting their website/blog and commenting, sign up for their newsletter, ask questions, etc.
• Connect via Social Networking Sites – Find out where else your targeted audience ‘hangs out’ online.  Join them on facebook, twitter, or bookmarking sites.  Forming genuine relationships is the best way to gather a loyal following.

Whether you ask your audience to sign up for your newsletter or RSS feed, do interact with them by providing fresh content, and a friendly place for them to voice their opinions.  Each interaction places you in front of your prospective customers before they need your service, ensuring that they turn to you first when they do.  Blogs serve as an informal way to create a forum like feeling, and have greater control over the direction of the conversation.

The next post will discuss how to use Social Media as a platform to drive traffic and keep the conversation going.  In the meantime be sure to sign up for Web Shop Manager’s RSS feed. 

Emily Dunn

Brown Bag Agency

The ultimate goal of an eCommerce blog is to make money.  It may be a simple goal of paying your hosting fees or perhaps you have grander visions in mind.  Whatever the goals are for your site you will need to get consistent traffic in order to make any of the following revenue generating suggestions profitable. 

In order to drive traffic to your site I suggest you take a look at a previous post in the series “Developing an eCommerce Blog” entitled "How to Title an eCommerce Website Blog Post and Promote it too!".

Now let’s explore a few options for monetizing your eCommerce blog:

SELL PRODUCTS

• Sell Your Own - WSM’s eCommerce Modules makes it easy to post your own product and get paid for it.  The new 1-step checkout system should make it even easier to convert ‘lookey-loos’ into paying customers. 
• Create Branded Items - You can create products with your own logo or designs to sell using sites like Zazzle, or Café Press to further your brands reach with promotional items.  Both sites use your designs, and when a customer orders an item they print the item and drop ship for you.  You can create a separate site, if the look doesn’t suit your current site, or integrate it directly into your existing offering. 
• Affiliate Sales – The apparel and fashion site designed by WSM, Bcat Threads is a great example of combining several designers into one site.  This not only makes the site look full of unique products, but allows the individual designers great exposure to a larger audience. 

AD NETWORKS 

• Pay per Click (PPC) – This means that you, the host, only get paid when an ad is clicked.  There are many ad networks that work this way and several include: Google Adsense, Chitika, and Commission Junction.
• Pay by Impressions (CPM) – (stands for cost per thousand) – These networks pay you for each 1000 page views rather than actual clicks.  The cost is usually $1 or so per 1000 page views.  Consider these services as examples of this method: Tribal Fusion, and ValueClick Media.

DIRECT AD SALES

• Individual Vendors - If you are interested in vendors buying ad space on your site, prepare a media sheet with analytical data including how many visitors, page views, average time on site, etc, so they can see the value in their advertising dollars.  You should make it clear on your homepage that you are happy to entertain more ads. 
• Trading Spaces - Consider trading ad space with another complimentary but not competitive site which can attract other companies to buy direct ad sales or at least generate more traffic.  This will benefit sales of your products and earnings from ad networks affiliation. 

Which ever method(s) you explore for your particular tastes and efforts I encourage you to read the fine print and don’t commit until you’ve explored a substantial amount of opportunities.

Next month I’ll explore attracting and retaining loyal RSS subscribers, and how to keep them happy and commenting members of your community.

Emily Dunn

Brown Bag Agency

Before you begin thinking of a strategy for post promotion you must first think of a riveting title to get your audience searching, thinking, moving, and of course buying.  There are many ways to create an attention grabbing title, here are (4) of my favorites:

1. Ask a question – This is a great tactic for engaging an audience.  Provide an answer to the question in your post and then ask for comments that will add value, and perhaps a few ideas you hadn’t thought of yet.  Here is an example from the previous post in the series “Developing an eCommerce Blog” entitled "How do I Develop Innovative Content for my eCommerce Blog? "  Form the question in terms of what someone may type into a search engine as a keyword search.
2. List – If you take a look at the title "5 Important Questions to Ask before Starting an eCommerce Blog" you will see that a list exhibits your thoughts in an organized, succinct, and manageable way.  If the title were “Starting an eCommerce Blog” the reader might think the post was all encompassing and may pass it up because of time constraints. 
3. Use searchable phrases – If the terms you use are different than what people are looking for, you could be missing the boat.  Take a look at Google’s Insights for Search tool, which should be incredibly helpful when looking for searchable phrases to inspire a post title.  For instance, when writing this post I noticed that “eCommerce Website” was trending higher than “eCommerce Site”. 
4. Say what you need to say - Perhaps John Mayer was on to something.  A blog post title is no place to be short and sweet.  Take for instance,  "List Hundreds of Products, Organize Thousands of Items, Import Millions of Parts". The title could have been something like “Products, Items, and Parts” which wouldn’t have been as effective or attention grabbing.  Sometimes an adjective can go a long way to get your point across and engage a reader. 

Now that you have an informative, engaging title it is time for creative blog promotion.  It is not necessary; in fact, it wouldn’t be a good thing to use all of the following ideas for every single post.  It may seem cumbersome at first but once you get in the flow of things it will become second nature.  I promise!  Here are (8) post promotion ideas to get you thinking:

1. Bookmarking sites - sites like StumbleUpon, digg, or delicious are a small sampling of the bookmarking sites available for eCommerce blog promotion.  I find it beneficial to link up with users on sites like Twitter to take those contacts over to a social bookmarking site.  Then you can bookmark each others posts and see the visits increase. 
2. Social media sites – It should seem pretty obvious to share a link with your followers on sites like Twitter when you have a new post.  Do keep in mind that only about 1 in 10 posts should be a shameless promotion of your site.  However, sites like LinkedIn allow you the chance to add your post to the “news” section of the groups you are a member of.  This can be an incredible place to post valuable material to a targeted audience.  Do not post to every group, every time.
3. Forums/ participation on other blogs – There are forums for everything now.  There are also blogs for just about every collection or hobby too.  Seek out related forums or blogs to the items you sell and on occasion leave an insightful comment that brings the viewer back to a specific post on your site.  Never leave a link to your home page, leave a link to a related article that helps further your insightful comment. 
4. Send a link to bloggers for possible link back - If done correctly this tactic can be very effective.  Let’s say you find a site that has a related article to something you have written about.  Your article may expand on what they were saying, or offer another opinion, etc.  Send a thoughtful email to the website owner and provide a link to the specific article you have in mind for them.  If they like the post or believe their audience will gain something from reading it they may link back to it.  Don’t expect hand outs, but if you get one, fabulous!  You may also want to provide a few link backs for other people and they may return the favor. 
5. Interlinking in ones website – The content on your site will naturally build upon itself, and it will make sense to hyperlink to previous posts, and relevant pages on your site.  This will keep visitors on your site longer, and make their visit a meaningful one.  Also, consider going back to old posts and linking them to relevant newer posts you have written. 
6. Photo submission sites – Photography is a great way to get the attention of browsers.  Sites like craftgawker, and flick can be used to upload great photos of your wares and drive traffic back to your site. Web Shop Manager has a Photo Gallery Module to help reel in the buyers hook, line, and sinker.
7. Newsletters – Use newsletters to feed your subscribers with great content that provides insight and will lead them back to your site and store.  Link to specific items in your store and talk about the benefits, or perhaps a widget vs. acme widget style piece.  See “How do I Develop Innovative Content for my eCommerce Blog” for greater detail on developing content.
8. Feedburner and other blog syndication sites – These basically work like a syndicated TV show and will help you get exposure for all your hard work!

There are certainly more options for blog promotion that haven’t been included in this list.  What are some of your favorites? 

In the next blog post we will cover some ideas to monetize your blog now that you have traffic and momentum building. 

Click here for more of the “Developing an eCommerce Blog” series to further your brand identity and grow readership.

Emily Dunn, Brown Bag Agency

Building on what we discussed previously in "5 Important Questions to Ask Before Starting an eCommerce Blog" I would like to offer some suggestions for developing news worthy blog topics.

The most important thing to consider when formulating your posts is your audience.  Ask yourself who am I writing this for?  It should be the same people that visit your eCommerce site to make purchases.  Not everyone that stops by your eCommerce site is an expert, so don’t alienate anyone.  Speak with a clear, easy to understand voice, and keep it concise.  I know it’s hard to believe, but people don’t want to hear ramblings about your kid’s lemonade stand, they just want the facts about the products or services you offer.

Grab a pen and paper and begin to brainstorm about possible topics.  You certainly don’t need a glamorous product to come up with resonating blog topics.  Whether you sell products, or services there are people in need of the information you can provide.  This will establish you as the calm in the storm, the voice of reason, but don’t get a big head now.  From those topics you can spider web out your ideas to include more subject areas and then put them into a logical order so you can link back to previous posts (please see example of link in first paragraph – clever aren’t I?), allowing your audience to read through easily as each post builds.

Here are a few ways to generate topics:

• Customer feedback/ questions:  If several people ask the same questions over and over, you should address it formally in a post.  There are many people that simply won’t raise their hand to ask.  A great example of utilizing this technique is Laptop Parts Expert’s blog, where Jeremy uses customer calls to formulate responses via blog posts.  He takes questions from consumers and turns the responses into short and sweet posts that are easy to read, and understand.   
• Nuggets of Knowledge: Think about the things you have learned that have furthered your understanding or enjoyment of a product.  For instance, imagine that you are an antique dealer and recently obtained a painting from an 18^th century American artist.  People that visit your site would love to know a bit more about the artist’s life and circumstances surrounding the painting which would potentially increase your chances of selling that piece.  You know what you are selling, and it is your job to communicate your knowledge with your customers so they can make wise purchases. 
• Products Defined: Perhaps if people knew how a certain product or service benefits them, they would be more inclined to purchase it.  See for instance Web Shop Manager’s blog post "List Hundreds of Products, Organize Thousands of Items, Import Millions of Parts".  A post like this helps potential customers clearly understand how they could benefit from using Web Shop Manager’s eCommerce Modules.
• Industry Trends: Keep tabs on what is happening in your industry by subscribing to RSS feeds of trade organizations, and by setting up Google Alerts to deliver news worthy information.  By reading articles from others you will find valuable inspiration to spur ideas of your own, and generate current, insightful articles. 

In closing, let’s review: when posting an entry, above all else keep your audience in mind.  The minute you lose focus, they will too.  If you own an auto parts store, don’t review a local restaurant.  Become the expert and share your knowledge.  People will return to you for your sage wisdom over and over, and when the time is right they will purchase from you, the trusted source. 

Next month we will explore methods to drive traffic to your eCommerce blogs, including an attention grabbing title structure.  Until then, happy blogging!

Click here for more of the “Developing an eCommerce Blog” series to further your brand identity and grow readership.

Emily Dunn, Brown Bag Agency

Blogs provide an incredibly effective, online extension of your brand.  Blogs can also drive sales, aid in customer service,grow brand recognition, and develop meaningful relationships if handled well.  There are no stamps to buy, no cold calls to make, and you will be connecting with people that are ready and willing to listen to what you have to say in a casual, interactive atmosphere.  Now that you are curious about blogs and whether one might be a good fit for your company, take a few minutes to contemplate the following questions. 

Who should blog?  The candidate (blogger) does not need to be an established writer, but should be someone who is knowledgeable and able to convey your brand's message in a relatable voice.  Appoint one point person to make sure that the editorial calendar is adhered to, although several people could share in creating the content.  Choose individuals that can provide at least two (2) hours every two (2) weeks to write a thoughtful, well researched article.  There is another option, which is to hire a 'ghost blogger' (a copywriter to post on your company's behalf) to help fill the gap.  It is most desirable if the ghost blogger has a knowledge base of the industry or topic at hand. 

What should I blog about?  Take advantage of an interested audience by focusing on industry events, offering opinions, and sharing research on emerging technologies.  In order to relay trends and news worthy information, read industry publications, subscribe to RSS feeds for inspiration, then relay the researched information in an informative, interesting way.  Provide content that will help the audience perform their job functions, and this will keep them returning for insight and guidance, furthering your company's image as a trusted and reliable source.

When do I have to post?  Quality over quantity is the most important thing to keep in the back of your mind.  In the beginning frequency is more important to establish relationships and momentum.  I recommend developing an editorial calendar to avoid lack luster posts and maintain consistency so that posts will build on one another.

Where do I promote my blog?  There are three (3) areas I suggest looking at to promote your blog, depending on how much time is available.  Do not get overwhelmed by the sheer number of sites!  Not all will be a good fit.  Take a few minutes to scope out the community, to see if there are competitors participating (not a bad thing), and to where your potential audience hangs out.  The objective is to become active and add value to each network.  Then carry your relationships from network to network.  What I mean by that is, once you become social on Twitter, for instance, ask your friends if they prefer digg, or StumbleUpon and ask for their user id's so you can link up there too.   

Here are the three areas to consider:

1. Forums - Become active and focus your efforts on one forum until you become established, and form relationships.  From that same forum choose a few users with blogs.  Visit those blogs regularly, subscribe to their RSS feeds and become active on their sites.  Read their posts, write thoughtful comments and hopefully they will return the favor by visiting your blog. 
2. Social Bookmarking Sites -  Review the Top 20 Social Bookmarking Sites from eBizMBA to find the best one for you. 
3. Social Networking Sites - By now you have heard all heard the buzz about Twitter, and Facebook, but there are many options.  Here is a great list of the Top Twenty Five Social Networking Sites provided by Social Media Optimization to peruse. 

Why should I blog?  Three quick and simple reasons as to why you should blog:

1. Blogs are an affordable platform to share your opinions, industry news, and establish your expertise on a particular subject or field. 
2. Blogs also foster meaningful, long term relationships by engaging community interaction.  Dialogue will begin to emerge from cultivating comments and sharing opinions freely.   
3. Blog posts can serve as a company bulletin board, alerting team members to various topics of interest and keeping the group connected.

By now it should seem clear that almost any type of business could benefit from a blog, and I hope that you do take advantage of blogging as a tool to reach your target audience.

Emily Dunn, Just Eat Food